Being Human
by RecusantMaverick
Summary: Otto Malpense and Laura Brand. Red upon white. Two great friends - or maybe, just maybe, a bit more? Can Laura help Otto to understand what being human actually is, and how he is more human than many. An Ottra oneshot, my first romantic story. Feedback is needed . I do not own H.I.V.E. T for slight cursing.


**Being Human**

**A/N: An Ottra oneshot with a light-hearted start( it's slightly slow, rather like the onslaught of Ottra in the books). Tell how I do please! I'm not sure if it's any good.**

Otto sat sipping a coke. Around the table sat the rest of the Fab Four. The albino finished his Coke and threw it at the nearest Henchman, who promptly turned around, along with six of his buddies.

"Oh, _shit_," muttered Otto.

Wing leapt into action. Clutching a large King Tango, he presumed to somehow turn it into an effective hand grenade. OK, it did only shoot Tango, but the idea was the same. The Henchmen were distracted enough for Wing to knock out two with ease, and 'accidentally' push one into Pike's experimental laser grenade. The results were epic.

Meanwhile, Otto was trying to ignore the fact that two big, ugly henchmen were heading for him. Due to the little steel neck protectors they wore, he didn't think nerve jabs would be an option.

"You threw the Coke at us," growled the lead Henchman.

"You mad bro?" Otto asked.

"Yes," replied the Henchman.

"Crap," swore Otto, as the Henchman drew closer.

Laura quickly searched through the array of devices. Finally, she found an odd device which appeared to shoot out chocolate biscuits. No, I don't know why either. The redhead inspected the label.

CHOCOLATE BISCUIT LAUNCHER. HIGHLY DANGEROUS AND SUGARY.

She shrugged, and charged into battle like a true Scot.

"Would you risk it for a chocolate biscuit?" challenged Laura.

The Henchmen, not able to comprehend the sudden appearance of Laura, muttered something like 'no.'

"I wouldnae either," said the redhead.

Otto got behind Laura. Whatever the redhead was about to do, Otto didn't want to get in the way. He instead observed from behind.

As he watched, he could not help but admire his friend. Or maybe more than your friend, said a small voice. He was captivated by the flame red hair, the green eyes, the small smile and the general niceness of Laura. Otto knew, deep down, that he could never be like her. He wasn't a true human. He was a clone, a stand in, a fake. Yet people still liked him. People who Otto thought would've been happier without him.

The chocolate biscuit launcher proved to shoot cunningly disguised stun grenades. The Henchmen then tried to eat the biscuits, which led to... well, let's say it was worse than indigestion. The Henchmen lay convulsing on the floor. Laura twisted around. Otto's eyes were elsewhere, vacant, empty. Then they reverted to normal, and he congratulated Laura. But that didn't fool her. Something was wrong with the albino. She could tell what he'd been thinking, a bit of it anyway, and she wished that Otto knew that he was as human as she was, maybe more. She resolved to talk to him later.

Three hours later, after Tech.

Otto walked from Pike's class in a daze. His thoughts from earlier resonated through him. Fake, liar, inhuman, computer, imprint. Evil. Tears collected in his eyes. He walked away.

Laura watched him go. She ran after him. The albino stopped. The tears were still visible.

"Otto!" called Laura," I need some help with this homework! It's complicated quantum encryption!"

Otto walked back to Laura, brushing the tears away. The two walked towards the computer rooms.

Laura clasped Otto's hand. It was as cold as Arctic ice. There was definitely something wrong with the albino. Laura backed down a passageway, and Otto followed, reluctantly. She found an empty classroom and entered.

"What's the matter Otto?" asked Laura.

"Nothing," replied the albino," I'm OK."

"Otto, you're crying and shivering. You aren't OK. What is the problem. I'm your friend. I can help."

Otto let it all out.

"I'm nothing," the albino said," I'm an imprint, I'm a clone, I'm a stand-in, I'm not human-"

Laura interrupted.

"You are human. You have people who love you Otto. It's not how you were born, it's how you turn out. You choose."

"Nobody should love me," Otto said.

"Well they do," Laura answered.

"Who?"

"I do," the redhead replied, and drew Otto into a hug. Her lips touched his, red on white, for a moment, until the two broke apart.

"Now are you going to mope here, or are you going to help me with this homework?" demanded Laura.

"I'm going to help you with this homework, so I am!" Otto smiled.

Laura smiled, a beautiful smile which warmed Otto's soul.

"Don't get cheeky now, Malpense. I'll have you know I'm Scottish through and through! Not Irish!"

Twenty minutes later.

The two sat at the computer, thinking hard. Otto had been banned from just googling it to see the answers. It wouldn't work anyway.

"So the y code must work with this x bit of code to get through. Fascinating," said Otto.

"Indeed," replied Laura," Though what about the n piece of code?"

"Laura, you're a genius," said Otto.

"Glad you realised," smiled Laura.

"Oh, I realised even before you used that amazing chocolate biscuit launcher," added Otto quickly.

"Aye," Laura answered," But what about you?"

"I use a computer," pointed out Otto," You do it naturally."

He smiled, the smile which made butterflies take flight in Laura's stomach. The smile after an evil plan had been pulled off. She looked closer at Otto.

Most girls would have written the albino off. But Laura wasn't most girls. Sure, he wasn't muscly, and if Laura ever said he was sporty Shelby might die laughing. He was thin and pale, not tanned and strong. But the way he smiled, the way his eyes sparkled, the way his intelligence gleamed, the way he bravely fought and the witticisms he spoke meant so much more than looks. It was being human, and Otto was full of it. And as Laura's lips closed upon his, she realised that he was the one. Even if he was a bit stupid sometimes( well, a lot of the time). He was Otto, and that was all that mattered to Laura.

_A/N: I liked this, but I think I didn't do well. Over to you. What do you think?_


End file.
